Pirate Galaxy » elimination-style format, two of th

SEATTLE -- Two teams coming off vastly different Junes met in Houston just before the All-Star break, and nobody should have been too surprised at the Astros sweep of the Seattle Mariners.The Astros had used a hot June (18-9) to get back into the American League West pennant chase, and the once-contending Mariners had fallen on hard times.The question as the two teams prepare to meet again at Safeco Field, beginning Friday night, is whether Houston can maintain its torrid pace and catch the division-leading Texas Rangers -- and if the Mariners will ever get back into contention.Houston (48-41) comes out of the break trailing Texas by 5 1/2 games, but thats a miniscule separation when considering how far the Astros have come.After getting swept by the Rangers in a May 20-22 series, Houston was 8 1/2 back, in third place in the AL West. A week later, Texas took three of four from the Astros and stood 9 1/2 games up at 37-23.Since then, the Astros have posted a 19-8 record and hopped over the scuffling Mariners (45-44) into second place in the standings.Having survived a 7-17 April and the early struggles of ace Dallas Keuchel, the Astros are riding the wave again.I want to win as many games as we can, manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com after the Astros closed out pre-All-Star break play with a 10-inning victory, and I dont care what order we win them in.The turnaround has coincided with some better outings from Keuchel, who has started to look like the Cy Young contender he was last year in his recent starts. Keuchel won his last start on Sunday but isnt scheduled to pitch against the Mariners this weekend.Fridays starter is listed as Doug Fister, a one-time Mariner who is also coming off one of his better starts of the season. He allowed three hits in eight innings his last time out but suffered the loss, his third in as many starts.Fister went 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA in May and June but is off to an 0-2 start this month.Seattles starter, left-hander James Paxton, has experienced a similar battle with inconsistency. He has a 98 mph fastball and front-of-the-rotation stuff but opened the season at Triple-A and has gone 2/3 with a 3.91 ERA since being promoted.The success of Paxton could be a big factor in how Seattle closes out the season, as the 27-year-old southpaw has helped ease the blow of three injuries to the Mariners starting rotation. Wade Miley is already back, and the Mariners hope to get Taijuan Walker (foot soreness) and Felix Hernandez (strained calf) into the rotation in the next week or two.Hernandez made his first rehab start last weekend and is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Tacoma on Friday. If all goes well in that start, Seattle could have him back in the rotation as soon as next week.Hernandezs first rehab start, at Class A Everett, didnt go that well. He allowed six hits and three runs in 3 2/3 innings, but he came out of it optimistic.I had some mechanical problems a little bit, Hernandez told MLB.com after the start. I didnt feel comfortable, but it was OK. I wasnt sharp enough. Its been awhile, so thats what we expected.The Mariners have Paxton going Friday, veteran Hisashi Iwakuma scheduled for Saturday and TBA listed for Sunday.The Mariners have struggled against the Astros in recent years, with an 11-18 record since the start of 2015. Houstons Jose Altuve, who hits well against just about everyone, has been a particular challenge, as evidenced by his .417 batting average against Mariners pitching this season. Custom George Bell Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Authentic Custom Blue Jays Jersey . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. http://www.custombluejaysjersey.com/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. George Bell Jersey Large . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Custom Blue Jays Jerseys . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- As Jimmie Johnson struggled through the longest winless drought of his Sprint Cup career, team owner Rick Hendrick wondered whether it was time to split up the band.Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have won six Sprint Cup titles together, and Knaus has overseen the cars for Johnsons 79 victories. But after 15 seasons together, Hendrick at least wondered a little bit whether they needed a change as Johnson went on a 24-race winless streak with 11 finishes outside the top 15.He didnt act on those thoughts, and Johnson is one of the four drivers vying for the Cup title Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.When you have two guys that have been so good and you try to decide is it time, and this year we started off really well, and then we hit a lull in the summer, and it was -- we asked ourselves then, Is this time, do we need to make a change? Hendrick said Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.But when you see things that are so close [to turning around], I think thats when they work harder. We really just sit down and work hard together and try to identify weaknesses, and I think they have both made a commitment -- they want to retire together. They want to finish their careers together.If Johnson wins a seventh title -- tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt?Sr. for the most championships in a career -- it will be the first time a driver has won seven titles with the same crew chief.Jimmie personally, obviously, he is by farr one of my best friends, and to be able to have seen him grow and mature into the driver and the family man that he is has been awesome, Knaus said Wednesday.ddddddddddddIts been a great ride.It hasnt been all milk and cookies -- though Hendrick once had them snack that way to get over a rough patch -- but racing rarely is so peaceful.That could be said for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has two drivers in the championship hunt. For the first time in three years of the elimination-style format, two of the drivers --?Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards?-- come from one team.Theyre not sharing a lot of stuff, Gibbs said. Its going to be up to them individually, and I think both of our guys ... its such a big deal for them. We kind of felt like obviously theyre going to be kind of individually going for it. ... Theyll both kind of be on their own here.Busch and Edwards dismissed the notion they arent working together after they posted the top speeds among the Chase finalists in qualifying.Joe is not in our meetings, Busch said about the work among the four JGR teams as well as affiliate Furniture Row Racing. Dont listen to Joe. Were not sharing with him.Everything right now is all the same -- open notebook. Ive been looking at Carls stuff all day. Carl has probably been looking at [notes from] everybody else as well as I have. ' ' '